The Moon and the Sun
by Megii of Mysteri OusStranger
Summary: On Hiatus-To Be Rewritten SesshomaruOC How do you go from human to fullblooded yokai in a matter of hours? She was human... yet she didn't want to BE human. Her wish is granted... but at what cost?
1. The Flu?

**The Moon and the Sun**

Summary: SesshyOc Hotaru drummed her fingers on the desk over and over again. She was feeling very queasy for some reason. She paused, putting a hand to her forehead. Why did she feel so lightheaded all of a sudden? That last thing she heard was the teacher yelling her name before she blacked out and fell. How do you go from human to full-blooded yokai in a matter of hours?

Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha. :sobs: I only own the sun-inuyokai's, got it?

This is my first Inuyasha fanfic. Constructive flames welcomed! R&R!

**Chapter 1 – The Flu?**

Hotaru drummed her fingers over the desk over and over again as she listened to Mr. Roberts's latest lecture. Biology class. Bleh. Don't get her wrong, she liked biology, but science just wasn't her strong point. In fact, it was one of her worst subjects in high school, second only to English, another thing she liked but was terrible at. Not to mention that she was feeling very queasy for some reason.

She raised her hand.

"Yes, Hotaru?" The teacher asked.

"May I go to the sick room, please? I don't feel very good."

Mr. Roberts frowned apologetically and shook his head. "No, Hotaru, this is too important for you to miss out on. You can go once class is over."

She groaned and held her stomach. If it was important enough for the teacher to actually say no, then it was _really_ important. He was usually pretty lenient, even when he knew she was faking.

Hotaru was a typical, American, seventeen year-old high school senior with dark brown hair and ocean-blue eyes that just happened to have a Japanese by a pure stroke of luck. She loved writing, but was bad at the class. And what free time she didn't spend reading she spent hacking away in the local Foam Fighter's club, having a strong passion for swords, magic, and just about anything else to do with the middle ages. Until recently, she had been obsessed with French and its language and culture, but when she joined the Writer's Club and met its president, she fell into the Japanese-obsessed rut that we all know and love.

Of course, that had only been a week ago and she had yet to see anything outside of the president's anime style drawings, what little Japanese music she'd been exposed to in the past couple days, and the Pokemon cards she fell in love with as a kid. That's pretty limited.

Ignoring the growing pain in her gut, she continued writing down notes on the fungus kingdom. She had to admit that the plants had been far more interesting, though they didn't have that pleasant addition of feeding off the dead.

That was probably the one bizarre thing about Hotaru, she hated being human. True, she was human, her parents were human, her friends and siblings and everyone else she'd met was human, and even though she loved her friends and family, she hated them at the same time. She hated how humanity thought itself the superior species on the planet and how they acted so cruel towards animals and destroyed the environment. Not to mention their cruel nature. Yes, humans were cruel, very cruel. They shunned and hated anyone who was different from them, like homosexuals and nudists, and they started wars over stupid things like land and money. Monotheists were the worst. Christians and Jews and Catholics and Muslims, always forcing their religion on others and killing people who disagreed. They wiped out millions of Native Americans because of that. Half the wars in the history of the world had been between those guys! All because they had a different name for the same stupid god. She suspected that's why she decided to throw religion out the window in the first place.

She sighed when the bell rang, though that apparently wasn't a good idea, bile rising in her throat. Forcing it back, she put her things away in her bag, pulling out her I-pod and sticking the little headphones in her ears. Slinging her bag over her shoulder and turning on the volume, she stood and started to head for the door, but paused, putting a hand to her forehead. Why did she feel so lightheaded all of a sudden? The last thing she heard was the teacher yelling her name before she blacked out and fell.

.o0O0o.

Oi, sorry it's so short! Most of the beginning chapters are going to be that way. I hate cliffies as much as you guys, but they're addicting when you're the writer, aren't they? R&R! Constructive flames welcomed! I love my reviewers!

How'd she end up so much like me? Damn uncontrollable fingers…have minds of their own they do.


	2. Changes

**The Moon and the Sun**

Summary: SesshyOc Her eyes widened at seeing several blonde strands of hair. Not brown. She dropped the mirror as pain surged through her body. "What did you do to me?" She screamed. "I did nothing!" How do you go from human to full-blooded yokai in a matter of hours?

Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha. :sobs: I only own the sun-inuyokai's, got it?

This is my first Inuyasha fanfic. Constructive flames welcomed! R&R!

**Chapter 2 – Changing**

"Jaken! Don't poke her!"

"I'll poke her all I wish, Rin! Hmm? I think she's starting to wake up."

Hotaru groaned weakly. She hurt all over. She was vaguely aware of people talking. What had happened? Had she hit her head? Her whole body felt numb. With some difficulty, she forced her eyes open… straight into the faces of a little girl and a green… thing. She screamed and backed away, jumping to her feet. Bad idea. Really bad idea. Her head exploded with pain.

"Shit…" She gasped, putting her hands to her head. She glimpsed a third someone in white out of the corner of her eyes. Her stomach lurched and she spun around, leaning on a tree as she coughed up dry heaves. Wait, a tree? What… Her mind was swiped clean as her body once again tried to throw up an empty stomach. The whole world was spinning, she felt as if she might collapse again. She gasped when her stomach finally stopped and her eyes flickered across her wrists, which were throbbing painfully. She gasped again, this time in shock when she saw the ragged, reddish-orange rings on the sides of her wrists.

Eyesight blurring quickly, she turned to the three figures. "Did you… cut me?" me mumbled. Unable to sustain consciousness any longer, she fell into darkness once again.

.o0O0o.

Groggily, Hotaru opened her eyes to see the jagged, gray ceiling of rocks of a cave. Where…where was she? Suddenly, she remembered those two strange faces and the blinding headache. Slowly, so as not to cause another headache, she turned her head, spotting a fire and man with silver hair and wearing white sitting opposite her. There was a sift looking, fuzzy boa over his shoulder on his right side and he had odd, red markings on his cheeks along with a blue crescent moon on the middle of his forehead.

"Good. You're awake." He said

She pushed herself gently on her elbow and put a hand to her forehead once again. "What happened? Where am I?"

"We found you lying unconscious in the forest. When you awoke and blacked out again, Rin insisted that we bring you here to this cave and wait for you to wake up and get well." He said in a cold, monotone voice. "Now that I have answered your questions, you will answer some of mine. What is your name and what were you doing in the forest in the first place?"

She sat up straight, clenching her eyes shut and rubbing her forehead. "I'm… Hotaru. And… I don't know how I got in the forest. The last thing I remember is getting up to go to my next class and feeling really ill, well, before I woke up to that little girl and toad-creature. Oh, man…" She opened her eyes, seeing a few strands of hair drift in front of her face. Her eyes widened at seeing several blonde strands. She reached out and touched them, bewildered. "What did you do to my hair?"

The man got a peculiar look on his face. "Nothing. It's been steadily getting more gold since we found you, ningen."

_Ningen? That's the Japanese word for human, isn't it? _Hotaru thought questionably. _Does that mean he's not human? If I didn't feel so crappy I think I'd be thrilled… And why is he looking at me like that? _Irritated, she asked, "What? Is there something on my face?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

She furrowed her brow worriedly. She glanced to the side and saw her bag lying against the wall. Grabbing it, she zipped it open and hastily pulled out a small mirror and gaped at the reflection.

Vibrant yellow, jagged stripes branched off from the ends of her ears and came together in a triangle in the middle of each of her cheeks. And her eyes! How did she get gold eyes? She had blue eyes, blue!

She dropped the mirror as pain surged through her body. It shattered on the cold, stone ground.

"Gah! Aah!" She chocked, grabbing her middle. "What did you do to me?" She screamed in agony.

"I did nothing!" The man exclaimed, standing up and looking very alarmed.

A large amount of pain condensed in her hands and she held a shaky palm out in front of her face, eyes widening in horror and pain as her fingernails began lengthening into claws at an alarming rate. The violent orange rings shivered into triangles. Overwhelmed by pain, she blacked out for a third time.

.o0O0o.

Grr, I hate making her black out so much. Makes her seem weak. 3 times in a row! Damn… What's happening to her? Think you can guess? I'm sure you can. Read and Review! Constructive flames welcomed! I love my reviewers!


	3. A SunInuyokai

**The Moon and the Sun**

Summary: SesshyOc Her eyes widened at seeing several blonde strands of hair. Not brown. She dropped the mirror as pain surged through her body. "What did you do to me?" She screamed. "I did nothing!" How do you go from human to full-blooded yokai in a matter of hours?

Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha. I only own the sun-inuyokai's, got it?

**Chapter 3 – A Sun-Inuyokai**

Hotaru opened her eyes to the dull gray ceiling of the cave, nausea returning quickly. She was getting sick of this…literally it seemed. She turned her head to the side again, seeing the little girl that had only been inches away from her face earlier. She was wearing a pretty orange and white…kimono?

The little girl looked up at her movement, her face bright and cheerful and Asian. "Hi! You woke up!"

Hotaru groaned and sat up. As horrible as she felt, she felt a little better than she had earlier. "Nn…yeah." The girl smiled and walked over to the fire, picking up a bowl. She kneeled beside the teenager and held it out.

"Here. I made some soup for you. You seem sick."

Hotaru smiled gratefully at the child before taking the bowl into her hands. "Thank you, that's very sweet. I'm Hotaru, what's your name?"

The child's face got even brighter. "Hi, Hotaru-sama! I'm Rin!" She turned and pointed to the two figures behind her. She quickly recognized the silver-haired man. "That's Master Jaken and Sesshomaru-sama. They're both yokai from the western lands. Sesshomaru-sama is the lord of the western lands."

Hotaru frowned slightly. Sama? That was a Japanese term, wasn't it? Yes, it was, it was a term for someone of very high rank. She remembered Sisi telling her the other day. Very cautiously, she asked, "What country is this?"

Rin cocked her head, confusion written all over her face. "It's Japan, of course! Where else would we be?"

Hotaru choked on the soup. "Japan? JAPAN?" She sputtered, jumping to her feet. The soup spilled over the ground. She groaned and grasped the sides of her head, stars peppering her vision.

Sesshomaru stood. "You should stop doing that. You're not well enough yet."

Hotaru ignored him. "Japan? Japan? How the heck did I get halfway across the world? Ugh…my head…" She froze and put her fingers to her lips. "My voice… This language… Oh ye gods…"

A firm hand rested on her shoulder, gently urging her into a sitting position. She looked up into the golden eyes of Sesshomaru. "You need to rest, Hotaru-sama." He said firmly. Hotaru frowned a little. He didn't seem to be the kind of person to use that term lightly, if at all.

Sinking to the floor, she looked questionably up at him. "What happened to me? Why do you call me 'sama?" I'm…" She winced as her stomach lurched slightly. "I'm not anybody sp-special."

He raised an eyebrow. "From what I just witnessed, you transformed from a human to a full-blooded sun-inuyokai in a matter of hours. I don't know how or why, but the sun tribe is a highly respected clan. In fact, you outrank me in status. I am but a moon-inuyokai. It is only fitting that I refer to you as 'sama.'"

"Inuyokai?"

"Dog-demon.""

Her eyes widened ad her hands bolted up to her ears, feeling the elf-like tips. She pulled her fingers away and stared at her changed hands, taking in the strange orange markings and long fingernails. Remembering her cheeks, she felt at her face.

"W-where's my mirror?" She asked somewhat shakily.

Rin rushed over to her bag and brought her the largest shard of mirror. "Sorry, you accidentally broke it." She said apologetically. Hotaru took the mirror into her own hands and gaped at the reflection. She brushed her fingers across the orange sun on her forehead, ran her fingers through stunning blonde hair that tumbled to her waist, tousched lightning-yellow, ragged streaks on her cheeks, pursed her permanently bright magenta lips, and stared into liquid gold eyes and dark red eyelids.

"Impossible…" She murmured. She dropped the mirror with a clatter, staring blankly into space. Rin picked it up, staring into the teenager's eyes concernedly.

"Are you okay, Hotaru-sama?"

"How…how do I know this isn't all a dream?" She said, shaking her head slightly. "I was born human, everyone I know is human. I hate them for being so, but I'm stuck with it." She shook her head again, astonishment gracing her features. "How is this possible?" She asked no one in particular. She attempted to stand, but Sesshomaru pushed her back down again

"You are not well enough."

"I just need some fresh air."

"Understandable, but I don't want you moving around too much until you can stand without going through excruciating pain. Your clan could have me killed if anything terrible happened to you while under my care."

"My clan?"

"The other sun-inuyokai."

"Right." She frowned once again. "But…do I really count? Like I said, I've been human all my life up until now. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I'm not anymore, but… Ohh… I'm so confused…" She sighed, burying her face in her hands.

Sesshomaru's face was a stoic mask. "Jaken. Take Rin to find something more to eat."

"Y-yes, mi lord!" He saluted. "Come on, Rin."

They trotted out of the cavern, leaving Sesshomaru and Hotaru alone. Releasing her shoulder, he sat across from her on the other side of the fire, leaning against the stone wall. She stared blankly into the flames, her face void of any emotions. He observed her from where he sat, taking note of her golden appearance, odd clothing, and her smell of aged books, ink, and peppermint.

A sun-inuyokai… It had been a very long time since he'd come across one of those. He had been a mere child the last time he'd met one. They were rare, extremely rare, and had all but severed themselves from the outside world; the moon-inuyokai, his clan, being practically their only outside contact. Not only that, but their power and strength was legend. No one outside of the clan knew the true span of their ability. Nut then, this girl… No, he corrected himself, this young woman… was certainly something out of the ordinary. Mere hours ago, she had been human and now… It was something that confused him and that did not happen often. But even he was more than aware that he had to treat her like the sun-inuyokai she appeared to be or there might be… unpleasant consequences. Whether she was real or not. It wouldn't matter to her clan; she looked it and that would be enough for them.

She winced again and wrapped her arms around her middle as the pain returned. Standing, he picked up a bowl of tea, made from specific herbs he had had Rin and Jaken collect earlier, and knelt by her. She tilted her face up and he placed the edge of the bowl to her lips, indicating that she should drink. She did so obediently, parting her lips slightly and sipping the contents, staring up into his eyes.

Damn, he was attractive. There was only one word that could describe his face, his golden eyes, his shimmering silver hair…beautiful. Handsome? No, he was more than handsome. How? No, hot was too crude and slang to describe him. Beautiful was the only word that truly fit. Never in a million years would she have dreamed to have such an amazing man sitting in front of her and taking acre of her like this! It was either a dream or a dream come true. She'd take either one.

She relaxed as the pain in her stomach dulled and he lowered the bowl. He noticed as her eyes flickered to his left shoulder, realizing that he lacked a left arm. And though he didn't show it, he was thankful when she didn't bring up the subject.

"You don't have to do this for me, you know." She said. "It's really not necessary."

"Many would disagree." He stated simply, standing and heading back to his place on the other side of the cavern.

It seemed she had nothing to say to that and a comfortable silence fell upon them. Both were relatively glad that they did not bombard one another with questions.

Finally, Hotaru broke the silence, unable to withhold her curiosity and longer. "Lord Sesshomaru? The sun-inuyokai, I mean, my clan, could you…tell me what they're like? I'm… rather clueless."

He studied her for a moment. "In all honesty, Hotaru-sama, I do not know much about your clan. They are very secretive and I have only met one in my lifetime, many decades ago when I was still a pup. His name was Kenshin, and he was but a messenger. What little I do know about your clan is this. They are very secretive and very powerful and no one knows for sure where their civilization resides. The only times they are seen in numbers are during very serious wars when the moon-inuyokai ask for assistance or they are affected somehow. My clan is their only outside contact, and even then it is not very common."

"I see." She said, nodding, and didn't press that matter further. Suddenly, a thousand smells burst into her nose. She swore and pinched her nostrils, eyes watering. She could smell everything! And it _hurt_…

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything. It seemed her abilities were still developing.

Rin and Jaken chose to reappear at that moment, Rin skipping up to the fire with a fistful of flowers, a half-eaten apple, and a very irritated looking toad-yokai that was muttering to himself about how stupid flowers were.

Rin turned to Hoatru happily, grinning from ear to ear. "Here you go, Hotaru-sama!" She said happily, holding out the bouquet. "I picked these for you! Are you okay? Are you crying?"

Hotaru kept her nose pinched and shook her head. "No, Rin, I'm not crying; it's just that I can suddenly smell _everything_ and it's hurting my nose."

"Really? Everything? That's a lot of smells! I'm sure you'll get used to it fast though, if you're as strong as Lord Sesshomaru says. And he's always right, so don't worry!" Out of the corner of her eyes, Hotaru almost caught the dog-demon lord smirking. Almost.

"Alright, Rin, time for you to go to bed. It's late." He said.

"Aww! Okay."

He turned to Hotaru. "You should rest also."

She released the hold on her nose, sniffing and flexing it experimentally, and nodded, closing her eyes and folding her hands in her lap right there, not even bothering to lie down. She fell asleep almost instantly. She had been more tired than she realized.

Sesshomaru turned to his servant. "Jaken, Clean up the spilled soup."

.o0O0o.

Whoa. Sesshomaru seems really, really OOC in this chapter. Don't worry, that won't stick around long. The Sesshy we all know and love is still there! He's only acting so caring because Hotaru is, well, a sun-inuyokai and he has to show her some respect or risk getting his ass kicked. (Sesshy getting his butt kicked? Omg! Not possible!) Plus, even you must've realized that he didn't say anything particularly comforting, so he's still the cold hearted bastard we fan-girls swoon over. You read it, you get it; I'm not going to repeat myself. Oh, and Ah-Un is still here, he was just outside so he didn't get introduced.

Read and Review! I love my reviewers!


	4. The Fruit Loop Monkey

**The Moon and the Sun**

Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha. I only own the sun-inuyokai's, got it?

I'm baaaaaack… :grins manically: Sorry this took so long to put up. I've been in this weird funk lately.

**Chapter 4 – The Fruit Loop Monkey**

Hotaru was a very light and uneasy sleeper. She shifted often and awoke briefly whenever someone moved around, whether it was Jaken adding more wood to the fire or Rin getting up to the "call of nature." Sesshomaru couldn't tell if her sleeping pattern was due to her recent transformation or normal for her. Then again, it didn't really matter to him so he didn't bother asking.

She woke again, suddenly, sniffing the air. She rubbed her eyes, pushing sleep away. "Do you smell that?" She asked. He looked over at her puzzled face. He couldn't smell anything. "Something about a half-mile downwind from here. It smells like," she made a face, "Oh, gross, it smells like an old monkey skin or something." She coughed a couple times and pinched her nose shut again. "Damn, I can practically smell it rotting, and it's _moving towards us_."

He frowned slightly, though it was hardly noticeable. "Downwind?" She nodded, making him frown even further. How could she smell something that far downwind? Any distance downwind for that matter. Not to mention that they were currently in a cave and even he couldn't tell which way the wind was blowing. _It must have to do with her being one of the sun clan_… He decided.

She didn't go back to sleep, however, instead staying up with him and watching the cave entrance with narrowed eyes. She kept her nose pinched shut. After several minutes, she spoke. "The rotting skin is nearly here, and it's making me very uneasy. Do you have any idea what it is?"

Sesshomaru lifted his head and delicately sniffed the air. He growled. "Naraku."

"I'll assume he's not a friend."

A few more minutes passed and a figure in a white baboon skin, accompanied by a number of bizarrely large bees, reached the mouth of the cave.

"Lord Sesshomaru." It said.

"Naraku. What do you want?" Sesshomaru said, drawing Toujikin. He was already standing.

"Oh, come now," the baboon skin puppet that was Naraku said smoothly, "I merely noticed another scent accompanying you and decided to see what worthless creature you've adopted this time."

Sesshomaru growled, but nearly started when Hotaru was suddenly standing next to him. Her arm was wrapped around her middle and she looked like she was in a lot of pain, but she spoke anyway.

"Look, I don't know who or what you are or what you're doing here, but let me tell you, I am not worthless. Nobody but nobody calls me that. Now, do you think you could leave? The smell of that thing you're wearing is making me sick."

Naraku fixed his gaze upon her golden figure. "Hm, she's a pretty one, isn't she? Fiery too. I am Naraku, my lady. I've never seen a being of your likeness before. Just what sort of demon are you?" He said, extending an arm toward her.

"Hey, hey, HEY! Touch me, monkey boy, and I'll castrate you, got it? Shouldn't you be in a mental institution or something? Where I come from only fruit loops wear shit like that. Stay away from me. Have you ever _heard_ of a bath?"

Naraku growled angrily, thoroughly pissed. "Disrespectful wench!" A thick, brown tentacle shot out at the woman. She leaned over just in time for it to miss her head. He arm lashed out and grabbed the fleshy limb in her claws.

"You bastard! _Golden Touch_!" She said heatedly, then immediately looked surprised at what she had said.

As soon as the words had left her mouth, a streak of gold quickly began creeping its way up the tentacle and over the Naraku puppet, which was very alarmed. Within moments, it was encased in gold, unable to move, then softly exploded into dust. The bees zoomed away. Sesshomaru stared at Hotaru. Hotaru stared at her hand.

"What did I just do?" She asked, more to herself than anybody.

Sesshomaru sheathed his bade and walked back inside the cave. "You killed a demon." He stated simply.

Hotaru looked over the ashes, then at her hand, then at Sesshomaru. She walked after him. "Wait, wait, hold on a second." She called stepping into his path. "Just, help me out here for a moment, because when I woke up this morning I had brown hair, blue eyes, and was human, alright? This is really big and really sudden." She paused and took a breath. "Okay, so what exactly did I just do to him? I mean, I just touched him, said that phrase…and he died? Is-is it magic or…?"

"No." Sesshomaru said calmly. "It's one of your demon abilities. Each one is unique to the individual. You have your 'golden touch' and I have my poison claws. Now go sit down. You aren't well enough yet."

The teenager gave a small "oh" and obeyed. Knowing that she would not get any more sleep that night, she reached into her book bag and pulled out the book she was currently working her way through, The Silmarillion. Hotaru was not the type of person to fight against the current. She went with the flow, no matter how strange it was, taking whatever cards were thrown her way and it gave her a neutral outlook on many different outlets, which was probably why she was so relaxed about suddenly being in Japan and a demon. She didn't spend her time wallowing in the past or worrying about the future and she didn't have much care for material possessions unless it was a pen and paper or one of her beloved books. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen and she didn't struggle against it. If she was going to die then she was simply going to die and she wasn't the kind of person who was going to waste their time trying to change that, instead making the most of what time she had.

So it was that she was so immersed in her reading that she didn't notice the sun come up or realize that Sesshomaru left the cavern or move when Rin started saying her name.

"Hotaru-sama? Hotaru? Hotaru-sama… Lady Hotaru…" She waved her hand back and forth on the other side of the book. Hotaru still didn't look up. She put her hand on the book and pushed it down "Hotaru-sama!" That got the woman's attention. Her head snapped up.

"Oh! Hello, Rin!" She said, slightly startled. She looked over at the entrance of the cavern. "Morning already? I didn't realize…"

"What are you reading?" Rin asked. "It must be good, I said your name a lot of times."

"You did? Sorry, it's a habit of mine. This book is called The Silmarillion, and yes, it is very good. I'd read some to you, but I don't think you'd understand it yet. The writing style is very old and complex." She chuckled. "I couldn't even get past the first chapter until I was fifteen! I think you'll have to be a little more well-read before you can understand this."

Rin's eyes were large and wide. "Wow, it must be a hard book."

Hotaru nodded and glanced around. "Hey, where are Lord Sesshomaru and, um, Jaken? Did they leave?"

"Oh, they went to get Ah-Un!" Rin said brightly.

"Ah-Un?"

"Our two-headed dragon. He's going to carry us. Lord Sesshomaru still doesn't want you walking around yet."

Hotaru shook her head with something akin to disbelief. "A two-headed dragon… Okay then, if you say so." She bookmarked a page and tucked the book away in her bag. She would have to continue it later.

Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet. Every muscle strained stiffly against her. Never before had she ever felt so weak. In the end, Rin had to help her stay standing. Painfully, she managed to limp to the entrance of the cavern, into the morning sunlight.

Her legs felt like lead, and her book bag certainly wasn't helping. How had that happened? How had she gotten so stiff so quick? She didn't try to answer that question, an explanation wouldn't make things any better anyway.

She froze solidly when Sesshomaru and Jaken came into view, staring stupidly at the two-headed dragon. She shook her head slightly, catching herself quickly. Rin left her side and ran up to the creature, leaving Hotaru to lean against the rocks in order to stay upright.

"See, Hotaru-sama? This is Ah," she pointed to the right head, "and this is Un." Hotaru nodded in understanding. The small child climbed onto the dragon's back. "Come on!"

Hotaru bit her cheek and pushed herself away from the rocks, attempting to walk toward the small group. She frowned at herself, arm curled over her tightening stomach. She did not like being like this!

Weak and tight muscled, her legs gave way beneath her after several steps, and she fell forward with an almost inaudible gasp. Months of harsh but soft beatings from the Foam Fighter's club kept her from crying out any louder. She threw her arms out in front of her, ready to take the impact that never came. She opened her eyes and twisted in someone's grip, their hand firm on her waist. She looked up into the amber eyes of the yokai lord.

"Wow, you're fast." She said. "Um, thank you."

"You are still very weak." Sesshomaru observed, pulling her upright. He kept his hand firmly on her waist, letting her lean on him.

"Yes. Though… the pain is different now than it was earlier. I think my body's settling now instead of changing." She explained. "Damn. I hate being weak."

Sesshomaru stayed silent as he guided her over to Ah-Un. Allowing this girl to lean on him was certainly something he wasn't used to, and the contact was strange to him. If she wasn't what she appeared to be, he would never even considered doing what he was right now. Until her clan came to claim her, he was going to have to act…_kind_.

Oh, Kami, he hoped that wouldn't grow on him.

**.o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o.**

Ha ha! The title of the chapter is so funny! I don't know where I came up with it. Oh no, I'm laughing at my own joke. Bleh. If you haven't read The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien, you ought to. Amazing work. That is, if you can understand it.

Read and Review! I love my reviewers!


	5. The Anatomy of a Flower

**The Moon and the Sun**

Disclaimer- I do not own Inuyasha. I only own the sun-inuyokai's, got it?

What is with all these weird Chapter Titles? I'm so psycho.

**Chapter 5 – The Anatomy of a Flower**

Hotaru was very alert as they worked their way west, taking in every new smell, sight, and sound as she got used to her new body and abilities. Maybe it was the fact that Sesshomaru walked around with sword or that she was riding a two-headed dragon, but she also had a hunch that she had not only traveled to a different country and gone though a dramatic change in appearance, but also back in time, and that knowledge excited her all the more.

Hotaru was not a Mary-Sue. In fact, she had had a very good life compared to a lot of other people. Her family may not have been rich, but they had a decent sized, comfortable house and always enough money to keep the bills paid. She and her parents never fought or argued, the only people she ever had fought with were her younger brother and sister. She wasn't an A+ student, but she had good enough grades to get her from class to class and she worked for her parents as their accountant.

Truly, she had had a pretty good life, and yet, somehow, she had been somewhat sad. Perhaps it was because of the lack of excitement in her life that other people experienced day to day and how she couldn't help but be polite no matter what or maybe it was even hereditary. Whatever the reason, it had completely vaporized now. Never before had she felt so content and unburdened.

She had taken her sketch pad out of her book bag and was drawing on it with a piece of charcoal that she carried with her as she and Rin rode on Ah-Un. She sketched a number of things that was she was seeing before her eyes, including all four (or was it five? She wondered) of her new companions.

Rin peeked over the young woman's shoulder at the sketches. "Wow, you're really good at making drawings." She said.

"Thank you."

"Hey, that's me!" She realized, pointing.

Hotaru smiled. "Yep."

"Can I see some of your other drawings?"

"Sure." She handed the child the sketch booklet, turning it back to the first page. "But only look at the ones with the green tabs on the side, okay? The red ones might be a little, ah… _mature_ for you."

"Okay." She was silent for several minutes as she flipped through the pages. Jaken tried to glimpse too, trying and failing to remain subtle about it and hide his curiosity. "Wow, these are _really_ good." Rin commented. "Is this really how you see things?"

" No, I see the world the same way you do, I just… feel it differently, and I draw what I feel."

Finally, she came across a picture that puzzled her. "Hey, what's this one?" She asked, holding the notebook out.

Hotaru took the notebook and glimpsed at the picture. "Ah, yes, I remember this one. It was an illustration for an essay I wrote. The tall, lithe creatures are Dryads, the spirits of the trees. They take forms similar to us, but they are far more graceful and beautiful and tall. Here, I have them growing special plants that people like you and me grow out of. It's not based on real things, mind you; this picture is all imaginary. I was trying to show how that most people think that plants live and grow to serve them, but the way I see it is that the people are actually slaves for the plants instead."

"That's preposterous!" Jaken exclaimed, butting into the conversation. "Plants can't have people as slaves, it just doesn't work. Plants don't have minds or thoughts and they can't own property. Such an idea is completely ridiculous!"

Hotaru laid an inquiring eye on him. "Is that so? Some people spend their entire lives toiling, working, and striving to grow things like rice and soy. They break their spines making sure that the plants stay alive, healthy, and produce the most amount of food possible. They weed out the sickly or messed up ones, making sure that only the finest live on to produce new plants and sometimes people do so far as to breed the best of the best together themselves. And even when the people are long gone, the plants remain. Sounds like the life of a slave to me."

Jaken stared and stammered. "Well… but…yes, but… I mean… it's… it's not… plant's can't breed!" He managed to stammer out.

"Oh, no?" Hotaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No! They don't have, erm," he glanced over at Rin, choosing his words carefully, "Well, male or female body parts. And they certainly cannot experience, ah, romantic intimacy."

"I beg to differ. Plants can breed, just not in the same way creatures like us can." She reached up and plucked a flower off a branch as it passed overhead. She leaned down slightly, showing the bloom to the toad-yokai. Rin leaned over her shoulder, trying to get a good look herself. Using her little finger, Hotaru pointed out several parts of the flower.

"You see the clots of pollen, Jaken? Those are the male parts of the flower, and the pale stem in the middle is the female part. The petals are brightly colored because the plant wants to attract attention so that when something like a bug lands on the flower, some of the pollen gets stuck to it." She touched some of the pollen to demonstrate as it stuck to her finger. "When the insect goes to another flower, some of that pollen falls off or gets rubbed off on the female part." She brushed the pollen off on the pale stem. "When that happens, the pollen travels down the stem and into the unfertilized seeds, which begin to grow, then become true seeds that eventually fall off and create new little sprouts. You may not like flowers, Jaken, but they live and breathe for the sole purpose of creating offspring. It is the very meaning of their existence, just as it is the sole purpose of our lives."

"Now wait just a moment! It is not the sole purpose of _my_ life! _I_ live to serve Lord Sesshomaru!" He protested.

"For the time being, yes, but it all comes down to blood in the end. Could you die content knowing that your line has ended and there is no one left to carry your family name? I, personally, could, but then my outlook on life has always been a little odd compared to other people. With someone such as you, however, I doubt that is the case. At some point in your life you will wish to take a mate or fall in love or at least breed with someone who you deem worthy of bearing your offspring. It is something that cannot be helped, it is a trait we are all born with." She sat up straight and flicked the flower to the ground.

"Even me?" Rin asked with wide eyes.

Hotaru smiled softly and ran her fingers through the child's hair. "Yes, Rin, even you, though you don't have to worry about that for a long time. Not until you're grown up."

"You have a very interesting point of view of things." Sesshomaru said.

Hotaru looked din his direction. She hadn't even been aware that he had been listening. "Thank you, I suppose. Though you're not the first to say that."

"Have you ever been in love?" Rin asked with sparkling eyes. Jaken finally managed to stop gaping and "hmffed" at the child's question.

Hotaru's face saddened a little. "Once upon a time, yes. I was even younger than you when he first caught my eye, but he never acknowledged me, and after many years I gave up on him."

"Years? How long did you love him?"

The young woman thought for a moment. "Well, I developed a crush on him when I was only six or seven years old and it wasn't until I was fourteen that I finally gave up on him. I had given him a gift for his birthday and in turn he had his friends come up to me and make fun of me about it. I haven't been romantically attracted to anyone since."

Rin's mouth hung open slightly and a frown was on her face. "What a meanie! How could he do that to you? What a jerk! So he ruined love for you?"

Hotaru snorted softly, somewhat amused. "I guess you could say that. Though I think if the right person came along, I'd probably have a chance of falling in love again. It just depends on the person and how willing I am to lower the walls I've built around myself over the years."

Sesshomaru's eyes flickered back briefly. Walls… Why did that sound so familiar?

"You really are strange." Rin said innocently.

Hotaru smiled and rested a hand on Rin's dark hair. "True, but enough of these gloomy thoughts. They don't win wars, change the past, or write the stories I so cherish. Tell me, Rin, have you ever heard the story of The Lord of the Rings?"

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Well, at least he's cold again. He only had one line. ::sweat drop::

Oh, and yes, Sesshomaru and Rin talk like normal people in this fic. None of that 3rd person crap that makes them seem like mentally unstable weirdoes.

Read and Review! Constructive criticism welcome! I love my reviewers!!!

I LOVE THE FLUFFY!!!!!!!


	6. Fire

**The Moon and the Sun**

Ahhh! Sorry about the long wait! I've really been into Naruto lately and haven't been really into Inuyasha for a while. I feel terrible for making you guys wait so long!

**Chapter 6 – Fire**

As night fell, Hotaru became increasingly paranoid. Frequently, she ruffled through her book bag, searching for an item she knew wasn't there. She also kept checking her pulse and paid close attention to her breathing and often put her hand over her heart. Whenever Rin asked what she was doing and why she would simply respond, "Oh, nothing, Rin-chan. Nothing for you to get worried about. Nothing at all."

Sesshomaru, however, wasn't fooled. He could hear her heart beating in her chest, fluttering with nervousness like a caged bird. Regardless of the pain that came from her transformation, her body was perfectly sound, so why was she so worried about her heart?

Unbeknownst to him and the others, Hotaru had been diagnosed with terminal heart disease earlier in the year. It wasn't due to a bad diet or high cholesterol or lack of exercise; it was pure hereditary bad luck. The doctors expected her to live another good five years at least… as long as he took her medicine. Medicine that wasn't with her.

She wasn't afraid that her recent had changed her heart, no, far from it. She was afraid that it _hadn't_, and the knowledge that she might have a sudden heart attack or not wake up the next morning, or worse, that her body might go into withdrawal from the sudden lack of medication frightened her.

That's a pretty damn good reason to be nervous.

Hastily, she brought her sketchbook back out and began to draw, trying to get her mind off a possible, upcoming death. The charcoal made rough, jagged movements, and in the end she had a horrible picture of a nasty looking dragon/insect thing. Rin frowned over her shoulder.

"Hotaru-sama? What's wrong? You said you drew your feelings and that's not a very nice picture." She observed. Hotaru made an ironic little half smile. The child was a sharp one. Most she knew wouldn't have realized something like that.

She ripped the paper out of the rings and crumpled it in her hand, willing it to just burn up and disappear. "It's nothing you need to worry about, Rin. It's…" Suddenly the paper caught fire. Hotaru jumped. "Holy-!" She started and fell off Ah-Un in total shock… right on top of Jaken.

The toad-yokai squealed and tried to pull himself out from under the woman. "Oh my! Ack! ... What did I do to deserve this?" He gasped immensely as Hotaru stood, pulling air into his crushed lungs. Sesshomaru and Ah-Un stopped. "Lady Hotaru, what…" He paused in mid sentence.

Hotaru stared at her hand, which was engulfed in a bright orange flame. Somehow, it didn't burn her. She gazed at it with mystified eyes. "How… but…" She snapped her fingers experimentally and started when the flame grew larger. Shocked, she shook her hand vigorously and the flame went out, she examined her hand with a disbelieving frown.

"Hotaru-sama! Your shirt!" Rin cried out.

"Wha? Oh my gods!" She was on fire! Quickly, she batted her hands over the flames, smothering them. She sighed and held a hand over her fluttering heart once they were gone. Only then did she realize that her now considerably smaller shirt was showing _way_ too much midriff. Her petite, but well-developed little six-pack was bare for the whole world to see. Turning a delicate shade of pink, she wrapped her arms around her waist, covering her stomach with the less offensive skin of her arms.

"Ah…" She timidly averted her eyes away from Sesshomaru's piercing gaze, now close to the color of a rose. "Um, Rin-chan? Could you hand me that cloth in my bag real quick?"

Rin opened the bag and went through it quickly. She held up a yellow cloth. "This one?"

"Yes. Toss it to me, please." She caught the item as it flew through the air and quickly wrapped it around her waist, covering her bare stomach and tying it off fashionably at the side. It was a bright contrast to her somewhat dark clothing. Her blush lessened considerably. "Thank you, Rin-chan."

Sesshomaru looked up at the darkening sky. "We will stay here tonight." He said simply and Ah-Un plopped to the ground. Hotaru made a small "oh" and went back to staring at her fingers. She didn't dare snap them again, for fear of catching something else on fire.

After a while, Jaken took Rin to go find food and Hotaru lied back on the grass and read her book. Sesshomaru sat against a tree, keeping watch, she assumed.

She put her book down and sighed, staring up at the stars. Every so often, she murmured a constellation's name and traced its outline with her fingertip in the air. This, though, only lasted a few minutes before she grew bored and rolled over on her stomach. She pulled her book bag over to her and stashed her book inside, exchanging it for an odd, two pronged, flute-like object.

She held it up and looked over at Sesshomaru. "Do you mind if I play?" She asked. Her looked at her with his strange gold eyes and didn't say anything. She took it as a yes when he looked away again, turning into her back.

She placed the junction of the Y-shaped object on her lips and blew gently. The instrument's pure sound filled the air. Hotaru moved her fingers in a slow, rhythmic pattern, producing a song that was not happy, but not quite sad. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the gentle, lilting music. She ran her finger around the edge of one of the holes, causing the note to waver pleasantly. Slowly, she picked up the pace a bit, making the song slightly quicker than before, though no less emotionless.

"Oh, Hotaru-sama, that song makes me sleepy." She heard Rin yawn.

Hotaru lowered her instrument and looked over at the child. "Should I stop?"

"No, no." The child said quickly. "I like it. It's pretty."

Wordlessly, Hotaru continued to play, the seemingly endless string of sweet notes drifting softly on the wind. Rin "mmed" contentedly and rested her head in Sesshomaru's lap. The demon lord looked down at the child. It wasn't often he saw her so relaxed and quiet. It was certainly an improvement.

"Whoa." Hotaru whispered suddenly. He looked up and saw several sparks of flame vanish into the air. Hotaru looked at the flute to the air and back to the flute again. She removed her hand and stared at her fingers for a moment. Frowning slightly, she began playing again, eyes widening when several flames flew out of the end of the instrument. She paused again and giggled slightly, flexing her fingers in front of her face. She placed the instrument back to her lips and watched with fascinating eyes as specks of fire flew around as she played.

"Oh, wow." Rin murmured.

_Indeed._ Sesshomaru thought, watching the strange performance. Yet another of the sun-inuyokai's strange abilities, he supposed.

It wasn't long before Rin fell asleep to the tune and lights and Hotaru put her instrument away not long after, choosing to stare up at the stars again and the sailing crescent moon. Her eyes were shaded in deep thought.

Sesshomaru stared at her curiously. She seemed worried about something, but what, he wondered? There, she was doing it again; she was checking her pulse again.

"Something troubles you." He stated, gaining her attention. She sat up and turned to face him.

"What makes you say that?"

"You have been acting very strange all day."

She tilted her head to the side. "How do you know I don't always act like that?" He blinked slowly at her, as if to say, how stupid do you think I am? She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, staring somewhat sadly at the blonde strands. "Yes, there is something bothering me. I am very ill, or perhaps I _was_. I'm not sure. It depends on how extensively I've changed. Just… don't be surprised if I don't wake up in the morning."

He narrowed his eyes. What sort of illness did she have? It must certainly be something serious. No matter, she wasn't going to die. Rin had taken a liking to the girl and there was no way he could allow a sun-inuyokai to die in his hand.

Confidently, he assured her, "You need not fear. You will not die while in my care."

She made eye contact with him. "That's noble of you to say, but there's no way to protect someone when the threat comes from their own body, I'm afraid. Nor is there any way to bring back the dead. I just hope such a thing does not occur." She broke eye contact and looked at the sky. "If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about this anymore."

Sesshomaru smirked to himself. No way to bring back the dead? Is that what she thought? Well, she would certainly be in for a surprise when she awoke the next morning, alive.

She sighed and lay back down on the grass. "Well, goodnight, I suppose."

He was somewhat surprised. "Funny. I half expected you to say goodbye."

She shifted her position and looked at him. "Goodbye is forever, and nothing lasts that long. Not even death."

He raised an eyebrow. She was certainly an odd one. "What about the gods? They are immortal, are they not?"

She closed her eyes wearily. "I don't know of any gods. Or of any god, for that matter. I have no religion." She stated simply. "It only causes conflict and war. Goodnight."

Sesshomaru watched her as she fell into slumber. Yes, she was certainly an odd one.

**.o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o. .o0O0o.**

Okay, so there's chapter six. So sorry for the long wait! ;;; I don't know when the next update will be either, between school and more plot bunnies attacking my mind than I can count.

I don't know what the flute-thing is called. I got it off the Chronicles of Narnia. Hehe, I almost wrote Naruto instead of Narnia. I'm an uber Naruto fan.

I had fun with the fire too. If anyone has any suggestions for my fic, I'd love to hear them.

Read and Review! Constructive criticism welcome! Please, **don't** tell me about how "the flute was a stupid thing and now you'll never read my fic again." That's just an annoying and stupid review. Those types of reviews drive me insane… er. Insane-er. More insane. Yes, I am insane. Not official yet, but I am insane.

Oo, I'm rambling, he he hehe. Okay, until next time then!

Ja ne!

Mysteri


	7. In Which Tenseiga is Used

**The Moon and the Sun**

**Chapter 7 – In Which Tenseiga is Used**

Sesshomaru kneeled by Hotaru's sleeping form, listening to her heartbeat, which was quick and frail. Every so often she whimpered and her face winced in pain. She was, indeed, dying as she had thought she would.

He had realized that she was as ill as she had said soon after she fell asleep. Her sleep was deeper and quieter than it had been before and she trembled as if cold.

"What is this illness?" He asked himself as he looked upon her. To his surprise, she answered him in her sleep.

"Terminal… heart disease…" she murmured. Her pale lashes fluttered as another burst of pain went through her. Her heart rate increased and she sighed shakily.

"What can stop it?" He asked, leaning closer. He could smell blood.

"… pills…" her body began to shake more. His eyes widened as a trail of blood trickled out of the corner of her mouth.

"Where are they?"

She moaned, shifting in pain. "Gone…" she whispered. She gasped, her face twisting. He heard her heart beat faster, pounding against her ribcage so hard he thought it might burst. Still, she didn't wake, even as she whimpered and moaned in pain. He stood; he could hear her teeth grinding together.

Her heart stopped.

Her face relaxed and she sighed, sinking into the ground, her muscles limp. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth and she didn't take another breath. Sesshomaru drew Tenseiga from its sheath. He narrowed his eyes, searching for the demons hat would come to reap her soul. Ah, yes, there they were. He raised his arm and cut them away, killing them.

After a few seconds, she gasped and coughed a little, her golden-hued face paining for a moment before relaxing into an expression of relief. Her heart beat steadily and strongly, and her breathing became even. She moved her lips, saying something inaudible, pushing some leftover blood out of her mouth. He kneeled and wiped the red fluid away with his finger. Odd, it smelled faintly of cocoa. Her lips curled upward slightly in the advent of a smile.

Relived, he stood and walked back to his tree, glad that he wouldn't have to pay for her life with his own when her clan found out. She whispered something again as he left her side; it was barely audible, but he heard it.

"Thank you…"

**End Chapter 7**

Ugh, this chapter was agonizingly short, and I'm deeply sorry, however, I'm going to try to update monthly from now on, especially now that summer's here. I'd try to update more often, but I have a full-time job babysitting and I'm not getting to write as much as I want to. Even my other fics are getting neglected.

Also, now that's Hotaru's final physical change is out of the way, the story can get rolling.

Once again, we see Sesshomaru acting like a big softie, but don't forget, he only acts this way because he sees Hotaru as superior to him and is afraid of what might happen to him if anything happens to her. Basically, he saved her life to spare his own.

I wasn't going to have her talk in her sleep, but I noticed that happens quite a bit in the Inuyasha anime so I thought, why not?

Read and Review! Constructive criticism welcome!

If you're into Naruto, go check out some of my other fics please!

Oh, and I'm officially insane now! I hate the stupid "happy pills!" +

Ja ne!

Mysteri


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